ALL EUROPEAN SOCIAL PARTNERS TO MEET IN RIGA

Riga, 19 March 2015.
ALL EUROPEAN SOCIAL PARTNERS TO MEET IN RIGA
On 31 March the event of the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the European Union will be held
in Riga – the forum of the social partners ‘The role of social dialogue in ensuring the economic
growth and qualitative workplaces’ organised by the Employers' Confederation of Latvia (LDDK)
and the Free Trade Union Confederation of Latvia (LBAS). By analysing good practices across
Europe the forum participants aim to find solutions for wider participation from social partners and
their involvement in the facilitation of economic growth and job creation at all levels.
The Latvian Presidency of the Council of the EU takes place at a time when the senior officials of the EU
acknowledged a need for greater and deeper involvement of social partners in addressing the macro level
socio-economic issues. These issues were discussed during the conference on social dialogue organised
by the European Commission on 5 March in Brussels, and discussions on these issues continued during
the Tripartite Social Summit in Brussels this week.
“While the European Commission has just initiated measures to achieve a greater involvement of social
partners in addressing major socio-economic matters, Latvia can already be proud of tripartite agreements
made during the economic crisis and systematic cooperation between social partners and the government
in post-crisis period. At the same time Latvia can learn from the experience of other countries organising
the bipartite autonomous social dialogue cooperation between employers’ and employees’ organisations.
Therefore I consider that the social partners’ forum organised by Latvia will be sharing a good experience
and good practices for representatives of all countries of the European Union,” said LDDK President and
the Vice-president of BUSINESSEUROPE, the European Employers' Confederation (former Union of
Industrial and Employers' Confederations of Europe), Vitālijs Gavrilovs.
“There will be vital changes in the development of social dialogue driven by restructuring of the economy,
and changes in industry and business. The current role of social dialogue at all levels is to achieve a strong
and enforceable agreement between partners to mitigate the effects of the austerity policy caused by the
crises. Currently social dialogue in Latvia has to focus on generally binding collective bargaining within
sectors, which would ensure decent standards of employment in all enterprises within the industry.
Therefore, this forum will be very important for development of social dialogue in Latvia and in Europe since
by learning from experiences of various countries we can discuss the necessary actions to strengthen
social dialogue,” LBAS President Pēteris Krīgers shared his thoughts on the matter.
A panel discussion of senior officials and social partners of the EU devoted to both the role and current
situation of social dialogue, and challenges for economic growth and qualitative employment will be held
during the social partners’ forum. Also parallel sessions will be held devoted respectively to the tripartite
social dialogue at national and regional as well as sectoral and enterprise level. Thus all levels of social
dialogue and experiences in its implementation of various countries, institutions, and enterprises will be
covered.
At the end of the forum recommendations of the social partners’ forum will be presented to enhance the
development of social dialogue at EU, national, regional, sectoral and enterprise level. Recommendations
will be submitted to the European social partners, the European Commission and the Presidency of the
Council of the EU during the EU Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council’s
(EPSCO) meeting which will take place on 20 - 22 April 2015, in Riga.
Around 200 participants of social partners’ organisations from all over Europe will attend the social partners’
forum. Also the European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis, experts from the European
Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (EUROFOUND) and the International
Labour Organisation (ILO), European level social partners (the European Employers’ Confederation
BUSINESSEUROPE, The European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (UAPME),
European Centre of Employers and Enterprises Providing Public Services (CEEP) and the European Trade
SOCIAL PARTNERS’ FORUM ‘ROLE OF SOCIAL DIALOGUE IN ENSURING THE ECONOMIC GROWTH AND QUALITATIVE WORK PLACES’
31 MARCH, 2015, RIGA
Union Confederation (ETUC)), as well as national level social partners from Latvia, The Netherlands,
Luxembourg, the Czech Republic, Germany, Finland, Sweden, etc. will participate in the social partners’
forum.
The forum will be held in Riga, at the Radisson Blu Hotel Latvija in Elizabetes street, 55.
The social partners’ forum ‘Role of Social Dialogue in Ensuring the Economic Growth and Qualitative Work Places’ will
take place with support of the European Union's structural funds 2007-2013 programming period projects
‘Strengthening Administrative Capacity of LDDK in Regions" (No.1DP/1.5.2.2.1./08/IPIA/SIF/002/02) and
‘Administrative Capacity of the Free Trade Union Confederation of Latvia’ (No.1DP/1.5.2.2.1./08/IPIA/SIF/001/01).
Ieva Kustova,
LDDK Head of Communications and CSR Policy
Mobile phone: +37129482274
E-mail ieva.kustova@lddk.lv
Sanita Birkenfelde,
LBAS public relation expert
Phone: +37167035917, Mobile phone: +37129383038
E-mail sanita.birkenfelde@lbas.lv
SOCIAL PARTNERS’ FORUM ‘ROLE OF SOCIAL DIALOGUE IN ENSURING THE ECONOMIC GROWTH AND QUALITATIVE WORK PLACES’
31 MARCH, 2015, RIGA